Device for testing the density of smoke.



E. P. ROBERTS.

TESTING THE DENSITY 0F SMOKE.

Patented Aug. 24:, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FIG. 1

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E. P. ROBERTS.

DEVICE FOR TESTING THE APPLICATION FILED DENSITY 0F SMOKE.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WTIYESSES NITED T PETE :E D ARDP. ROBERTS, OF EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DEVICE FOR TESTING THE DENSITY 0F SMOKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Cleveland, inthe county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dev ces for- Testing the Density of. Smoke, of which the following is a full, clear, and'exaet description, reference being had to the accompany ing drawings.

The object of thisinvention is to provide a simple device to aid one in estimating the density of smoke emitted from a chimney or stack. Many cities have ordinances proh1biting the emission of smoke having more than a certain percentage of blackness. It is frequently difficult for the smoke 1nspector to accurately estimate the percentage of blackness in smoke emitted froma givenchimney, and, in enforcing the ordinance, it is sometimes impossible to convince a court or jury that theinspectors estimate is accurate or amounts to more thana mere guess. p

To aid the inspector in accurately esti-j cent. white, another sixty per cent. black and forty per cent. white, andthe fourth eighty per cent. black and twenty per cent.

white. These charts are supposed to bev placed such a distance from the observer that the black and white portions blend to the eye, producing a gray of a definite percentage or density, which furnishes a standard of comparison for the smoke emitted. To cause the blending, however, the charts mustbe at a distance of at least fifty. feet from the observer. Now, this is frequently impossible to carry out and is-usually inconvenient. Furthermore, the limits of an ordinary court room aresuchthat, it is usually impossible to place the chart where the black and white portions will blend to the eye of the'judge or jury, and thus the smoke inspector can not effectively demonstrate the kind of test he applied in estimating the density of the smoke.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a simple and cheap substituteofor the Ringleman charts which may be easily car- Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915 Application filed October 17, 1912. Serial No. 726,212.

ried about by the observer and used in any location, as a criterion for estimating the density of smoke observed. Not only does this add greatly to the convenience of the work of the inspector, but enables him to show to the court exactly the form of test hemade,

The essential feature of my device consists of a disk having black and. white thereon in definite proportions and so arranged that, whenthe disk is spun,the black and white will blend into a gray of agiven percentage. Thus, the smoke inspector may have always available, irrespective of his. position at the tlmeof observation, aconvenient criterion. "He simply places the diskon a suitable point (forexample, the point of a pencil) and spins it with his hand.' or, if desired, by somesuitable apparat-us,-at1 a sufficient speed to cause the black and white to blend, which gives him an a0- curate, standard for comparison of the it smoke emitted.

have a series of disks with the black and white of different proportions on the different disks so that the inspector select's one disk or; another suitable for the comparison. Or, I, may have black and white arranged in different ratios on differentportions ofv the same disk, in which case the inspector, upon spinning the disk, would obtain a variety of densities, and he would select theme which most closely corresponds with the smoke emitted. In the latter case the different densitiesmay be in "sharply defined bands, each. of a definite ratio, or the density may increase or'de'crease gradually as -l3he'd1 Sf32LI1C6 from the center increases, the percentagebeing read at a definite line on the. disk.

As. a further feature, I propose to provide disks adaptedto be associated with the black and white disks and having additional different shades of blue or gray, corresponding to different colors of the sky, so

that, by selecting a disk similar to the sky at the particular time, the inspector may obtainor demonstrate the color relation of a certain densityof smoke to a certainsky background. I

My invention, comprising the features above r'eferred to, or any of them, is hereinafter more fully explained, and its essential characteristics are set out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or face view of oneembodiment of my, invention, the disk in this case providing bands of varying percentages of blackness, the

highest per cent. being adjacent to the periphery and the lowestatthe-center; Fig. 2 is a face view of another form of disk Where in the various percentages of blacknessdecrease gradually from the center outwardly and the particular percentage is obtained by observing the tint at a certain circular line on the disk; Fig. 3.-is a View of another form-of disk, whereinthere is but'one band of'adefiniteratio"ofblack and white. This view is illustrated of a series of 'diskshaving their'proportion of black and white varying in "percentages desired; Fig. 4 is a view of a small color disk adapted to be placed centrally over any of the main disks and give a representation of the color of the sky. I preferto have several disks like Fig. t'of varying tints of blue or gray; Fig. 5 is a"'fragmentary view of a metal rim which may be employed on any-of the disks showniin Figs. 1 to 3 to increase the inertia thereof and provide for a more regular and continuous rotation.

Referringfirst to Fig. '1, A represents a parently darkening the adjacent one. Such diskof paper, sheet metal, or some suitable material having a central *hole preferably braced by any yglet B. concentrically arranged around the center are bands, each composed "of'white radiating spaces or arms C and black radiating spaces or arms D, these being arrangedalternately and in definite 'proportions. I The centralportion of the. disk is .perfectly white, 'orhas no per centageof blackness, as indicated by O then comesfa band, designated 20, of black and white arms in the proportion of four units df'wliite .area'to one ofblack. Accordingly,

when the disk is'spun this band will show a light gray, having twenty per cent. of blackness. v Outside of this'is .a band designated'4:Q,\ vher-einthe black is forty per cent. of the white, andnext to 'this a band where the black is sixty per cent, and outside of I this a "band where the black is eighty per cent. "and then finally a band of absolute blackness, asindicatedby 100. Between the bands are preferably jw'hit'e circles, indicated byE, so "that whenjthe disk is spun there will be no optical illusion of one band a'pa 'diskxasfdescribed, when placed on a suitable point or rod and spun, -ex hibits, at 'a glance, various shades which smoke may have, var'yingby twenty per cent. from gperfeet whiteto absolute blackness. By spinningthe disk andlooking alternately at the smoke emitted and at the disk, the inspector can select easily and accurately the band which corresponds most closely in color to the'jde'nsity of the smoke. H t

Fig. 2 exhibits a somewhat different arrangein'ent, wherein there is'a disk A having a central 'openingfa'nd radiating continuous arm C} of white and D of absolute black- The ratio of the black to the white decreases gradually as one progresses outwardly, preferably at a constant rate, and any specific percentage of blackness is obtained atscme definite distance from the center. The distances for the desired per "cents. are marked on the disk by concentric circles F. The center in this figure, being one hundred per cent. black, the firstcircular line indicates eighty per cent, the next sixty, then forty, and then twenty, as indicated by the numerals on the drawing. This disk is like'that shown in Fig. 1, in that when the disk is spun the inspector, has before him, at a glance, standards of the different shades of sinoke. The shades at the circles, varying by twenty per cent,

correspond to the bands in Fig. 1, but in Fig. 2 intermediate percentages are also shown between the circles.

Fig. 3 showsa disk of which there are designedpto bea'set, each to indicate a smoke.

of a different'density. In this case, A isthe body of the disk, and B 'isfthecentral eyelet and openingB, and there is a single band composed of white. arm's U and black arms D arranged in definite proportions. As

here'shown, "the area of the black is 'siXtythe color'of the 'skyat the time of inspection and placing this disk over the ;point on which the main disk is to be spun, so that the blue disk; stands in the center, the inspector is aided having, in proximity with the gray band, a representation of the sky.

Any of the 'black and white disks may be provided with a comparatively heavy rim to increase the duration and regularity of their spinning. Such a rim is illustrated at H'in Fig, 5. It is an annular member preferably of metal having an internal groove it into which the disk may be sprung by a temporary distortion.

As stated, the diskmay be spun in any suitable manner. A convenient apparatus may be provided for this purpose, if 'desired, though Ip'fiiid it entirely sufficient to put the disk over the point of ,a PQIICllxOI awl, or similar jinstrument, and spin it by the finger. It requires only a comparatively slow speed of spinning to blendthe black and white into a gray. When the blending takes place, any increase in speed above that amount is immaterial, as the per cent. is absolutely fixed by the ratio of the black and White in the band.

My disk obviates the necessity of the inspector carrying about the cumbersome Ringleman charts and performs the desired result more simply and effectively. Not only do the disks described furnish criterions for estimating the density of the smoke, but they enable the inspector to demonstrate to the court or jury, if occasion requires, the method by which he estimated the density, and thus he is in better position to prove to the court and jury the emission of dense smoke with which he charges a defendant.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A device for testing the density of smoke consisting of a disk having on it black and white spaces in definite ratio arranged about a center and bounded by a continuous circular band displaying one extreme of the ratio gamut, whereby when the disk is spun said spaces are blended to form a gray having definite percentage value.

2. A device for the purpose described consisting of a disk having thereon alternate black and white spaces in definite ratios side by side and arranged about the center, and bounded by continuous circular portions displaying extremes of the ratio gamut.

3. In a device of the character described, a disk having a series of concentric circles thereon and radiating black and white spaces in the bands between the circles arranged in definite ratios to each other measured circumferentially, the ratio successively varying from a portion of absolute blackness to a portion entirely white.

i. A device for the purpose described, consisting of a disk adapted to be spun and having a series of concentric bands thereon, each consisting of alternate black and white portions in definite ratio, the ratio of one band differing from that of another, and a center portion and an outside band, one of which is absolutely black and the other of which is absolutely white.

5. In a device of the character described, a disk adapted to be spun, and marked with alternate black and white radiating spaces,

the areas of the black bearing a decimal ing arms, the areas of the black bearing,

definite ratios to the areas of the white, and continuous circular lines separating the bands.

7. In a device of the character described a disk adapted to be spun, having a series of concentric bands thereon, each consisting of alternate radiating white and black spaces, the area of the black bearing a definite ratio to that of the white in any band, this ratio differing in diiierent bands, and concentric white bands on the disk separating the blackand-white bands from each other when the disk is spun.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a disk adapted to be spun, a central opening therein, an annular band about the opening consisting of alternately arranged black and white spacing side by side, said spaces bearing a definite ratio to each other and blending into a gray of definite percentage when the disk is spun, and a color disk adapted to be held in Proximity to the band when the disk is spun.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a disk adapted to be spun and having an annular band made up of alternate black and white radiating portions arranged about a central space, the black and white being of definite proportions, and a series of disks colored to represent different colors of the sky adapted to be placed over the center of the black and white disk,

' the black and white disk and the color disk each having a central orifice.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses. EDIVARD P. ROBERTS. Witnesses:

ELEANOR RAoFE RoBER'rs, T. H. BUSHNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. 0. 

